COMPARISONEvery claim sourced · verified Jun 2026

Alter vs Hedy: the honest comparison.

Alter is the narrow, Mac-only question mark: pricing, language coverage, and core proof points are not published. Hedy is the stronger Alter alternative for bot-free meetings across Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and web. We make Ottex, so it is included plainly as the Mac/iOS option for dictation, meetings, and finished written work.

Ottex

Mac, iOS · Free tier · $14/mo · PAYG

Ottex is unusually broad for a young Mac/iOS-first tool: it turns dictation and meetings into emails, tickets, CRM updates, notes, and docs, but it is not the pick if you need Windows, Android, web, browser extension, or compliance paperwork.

Choose if

You want one tool for system-wide dictation, meeting recording, and finished written outcomes like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs
You want a real free path: unlimited local dictation, file transcription, and meetings on Mac with Whisper/Parakeet, or BYOK instead of a forced subscription
You need multilingual dictation with 100+ languages, auto-detection, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules

Look elsewhere if

You need Windows, Android, Linux, web access, or a browser extension
You need mature team infrastructure such as a shared workspace, API/webhooks, third-party note destinations, or assistant chat over transcripts today.

Alter

Mac · Limited free · $2/mo · $720 one-time

Alter looks like a Mac-focused tool for dictating into apps and recording meetings, but its public claims are thin: pricing, languages, transcription imports, summaries, privacy posture, and non-Mac platforms are all unverified.

Choose if

You want a Mac app that publicly positions itself around writing by voice in other apps.
You want one product that at least publicly mentions both dictation and meeting recording, and you are willing to verify the missing details directly with the0

Look elsewhere if

You need confirmed Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, web, or browser-extension support.
You need published pricing, trial details, language coverage, offline/local processing, or compliance claims before buying.

Hedy

Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web · Limited free · $12.99/mo · $299 one-time

Hedy is strongest as a bot-free live meeting coach and searchable conversation memory, with local/offline options and broad platform support, but it is not a system-wide dictation tool and lacks proven speaker labels, hotkeys, snippets, or

Choose if

You want real-time coaching during meetings, with questions, blind-spot alerts, talking points, summaries, to-dos, and follow-up recaps after the session.
You need bot-free capture for Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, in-person conversations, or imported audio/video, with apps across iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and web
You value privacy controls: local speech recognition by default, optional local AI, optional cloud sync, GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type I claims.

Look elsewhere if

You need system-wide dictation that inserts polished text into any app; Hedy explicitly does not support system-wide insertion or context-aware dictation.
You need meeting transcripts with publicly claimed speaker identification, timestamp exports, or speaker labels; those claims are not present here.

The evidence

What actually differs, claim by claim.

Each section opens with the takeaway. The table underneath is the receipt — every cell carries its source and the date we checked it.

Pricing

Hedy wins the Alter vs Hedy price comparison because Alter publishes no pricing, while Hedy has Free at $0/mo with up to 5 hours per month, Pro at $12.99/mo, and Lifetime at $299 one-time. Ottex is the pricing surprise beside them: Free with local AI or your own key, PAYG at $0.2/hour, Pro at $14/mo, Team at $24/seat/mo, and Enterprise custom. Choose Hedy for a known $12.99/mo meeting plan; choose Ottex for a real no

See the evidence — 13 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Hedy
Free tier	YesForever free with local models and BYOK providers.	PartialAll core features; uses own API keys or local models; 7 days unlimited access to 50+ AI models; free meeting recording is Very Slow (Whisper) and has no speaker identification.	PartialUp to 5 hours per month; Real-time AI insights (first 30 min/session)
Subscription	$14/mo$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.	$2/moOptional annual add-on for advanced local speech-to-text and meeting recording.	$12.99/moPro adds unlimited sessions, recording import, cross-session organization, Zapier, and API integrations.
Pay-as-you-go / one-timeEscape the flat subscription	$0.2/hourHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).	$720 one-timePermanent access to Alter, future platform upgrades, all current and future features, and all AI models subject to fair use.	$299 one-timeAll future updates included
Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman	YesOpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers.	YesFree plan supports connecting own AI providers like OpenAI and Anthropic.	No public claim
Education discount	NoSame pricing for everyone.	YesSpecial pricing is available for students and academics by email request.	No public claim

Platforms

Hedy clearly beats Alter on platform coverage: Hedy supports Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and web, while Alter is Mac only. Ottex sits between them with Mac and iOS, which works for Apple users but loses to Hedy for Windows, Android, and web access. If cross-platform coverage matters, Hedy is the pick among Alter, Hedy, and Ottex.

See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Hedy
Platforms	Mac, iOS	Mac	Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke	YesNative Swift app, ~50MB RAM.	YesLinkedIn describes Alter as built natively in Swift.	YesVendor describes a native macOS application.

Meetings & team memory

Hedy wins meeting capture because it supports meetings, file transcription, bot-free capture, imported audio/video, and broad device coverage; Alter has no verified meeting capability in the digest. Ottex also supports meetings and file transcription, but only on Mac and iOS. The deciding nuance is speaker detail: Hedy is strong for live coaching and capture, but public claims for speaker labels are not present.

See the evidence — 16 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Hedy
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all	YesWith speaker separation.	YesAlter records meeting audio from applications or the system microphone.	YesHedy records live sessions and meeting conversations.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call	YesSystem-audio capture, no bot joins the call.	YesAlter records from the Mac audio system without a bot joining the meeting.	YesFeature page says no bot joins calls.
Speaker separation	Yes	YesPaid plans include speaker identification for meeting recordings.	No public claim
Calendar detection	YesCalendar-based meeting detection.	YesAlter detects common meeting apps and prompts the user to record.	YesGoogle Calendar is listed in the help center and news page.
Cross-meeting search	Yes	YesAlter allows search through all past meetings.	YesPro users can group sessions and ask questions across conversations weeks ago.
Shared team memory	PartialPublic share links, not a full team workspace.	No public claim	YesSharing sessions and topics is listed in the help center.

From meeting to finished work

Ottex wins meeting intelligence when the goal is finished work, because it turns meetings and dictation into follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, notes, and docs. Hedy is better than Alter for live meeting help, with questions, blind-spot alerts, talking points, summaries, to-dos, and follow-up recaps. Alter trails both because summaries, follow-ups, CRM updates, tickets, and comparable meeting output

See the evidence — 10 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Hedy
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear	YesDecisions with owners extracted.	YesDocs list extracting decisions from meetings.	YesGoogle Play listing says Hedy can find decisions across past conversations.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized	YesDrafted from templates or your own.	YesDocs list a follow-up email draft based on a meeting as a common prompt.	YesAuto-recap emails are listed for sharing insights.
CRM update / ticket draft	YesStructured for the target app.	PartialMeetings page says summaries and action items can be pushed to CRM or project management tools after meetings.	No public claim
Your rough notes steer the result	YesRough notes and instructions steer the result.	No public claim	YesHedy 3 added in-meeting note-taking that powers AI suggestions.

Dictation & transcription AI

Ottex wins dictation AI: it has system-wide dictation, BYOK, local options, 100+ languages, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules. Hedy has local speech recognition and 30 languages, but it explicitly does not support system-wide insertion or context-aware dictation. Alter is Mac-only and voice-writing oriented, but the digest does not verify languages, local processing, BYOK, file

See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Hedy
Engines	Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.	Whisper, Whisper Pro, Parakeet v3, local models, cloud models via own API keys or Alter routersPricing names Whisper, Whisper Pro, Parakeet v3, local models, BYOK cloud models, and 50+ cloud models on Pro.	Two local and two cloud speech recognition providersUsers can choose between private on-device transcription and cloud-based speech recognition.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine	YesWhisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.	YesMeetings page says no internet is required for recording and local processing with Parakeet V3.	YesLocal speech recognition and local AI processing can run on-device and offline.
Model selection per task	YesChoose the model per task and per provider.	YesPro routes to a model or lets the user choose a favorite model.	YesSpeech recognition provider can be changed in Settings > Speech & AI.
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence	Yes100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.	No public claim	Yes30+ languages · App Store listing says Hedy supports multilingual conversations while returning insights in the preferred language.
Per-app output rules	YesPer-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.	No public claim	No public claim

Cost

What a year actually costs at your volume.

Personal or team — switch tabs. Subscriptions are flat; usage-based pricing depends on how much you speak and meet.

You dictate about 3 h a week≈ 23,400 words at ~130 wpm

0 h5 h10 h

and sit in 4 h of meetings a weekhours you'd want captured and turned into follow-ups

0 h7.5 h15 h

Fill the gaps with:

Dictation appadded to meetings-only toolsMeetings appadded to dictation-only tools

OttexOttex Provider — PAYG$135/yrHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).

OttexSubscription - Pro$168/yr$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.

Estimates, not quotes. Striped bar segments are the cost of the second app you picked above to cover the gap — rankings use that combined total. PAYG uses hosted at-cost estimates ($0.2/h dictation, $0.5/h meetings); BYOK is estimated at about a third of that because you pay the model provider directly. Bring-your-own-key plans still pay the model provider per use. One-time licenses are amortized over 2 years. Subscriptions use published pricing, checked Jun 2026.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask.

Alter vs Hedy: which should I pick?

Pick Hedy for most buyers because it has published pricing, a Free plan with 5 hours per month, $12.99/mo Pro, $299 Lifetime, and apps for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and web. Pick Alter only if you specifically want a Mac voice-writing app and are willing to verify pricing, privacy, languages, and core features directly before buying.

Is Alter free?

Alter does not publish pricing in the provided digest, so there is no confirmed free plan to rely on. Hedy does have a Free plan with up to 5 hours per month, but that is a meeting cap, not proof that Alter is free. For a genuinely free option, consider Ottex — unlimited with local AI or your own key.

Is Hedy free?

Yes, Hedy has a Free plan at $0/mo with up to 5 hours per month and real-time AI insights for the first 30 minutes per session. That is useful for trying meeting capture, but serious usage points to Pro at $12.99/mo or Lifetime at $299 one-time. For a genuinely free option, consider Ottex — unlimited with local AI or your own key.

How much does Alter or Hedy cost?

Hedy publishes Free at $0/mo, Pro at $12.99/mo, and Lifetime at $299 one-time. Alter pricing is not published, so the yearly cost cannot be compared honestly. Ottex adds a cheaper usage-based path at $0.2/hour, plus Pro at $14/mo and Team at $24/seat/mo.

Is Alter safe?

Alter does not provide verified privacy, offline, local processing, or compliance claims in the supplied digest. Hedy is the safer pick on published privacy posture because it lists local speech recognition by default, optional local AI, optional cloud sync, GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type I claims.

Is it worth switching from Alter to Hedy?

Yes, if you need meetings across Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and web, or want real-time coaching, summaries, to-dos, and follow-up recaps. Stay with Alter only if your use case is Mac voice writing and you are comfortable with unpublished pricing and unverified feature details.

Does Alter or Hedy work on Windows or Android?

Hedy works on Windows and Android, along with Mac, iOS, and web. Alter is listed as Mac only, so Hedy is the clear choice if you need anything beyond macOS. Ottex is also Mac and iOS only, so it is not the Windows or Android answer.

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